Radio frequency (RF) transmitters are used in a wide variety of applications such as cellular or mobile telephones, cordless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers, radios and other devices that transmit RF signals. As transmitters become increasingly integrated and more portable, the efficiency in generating and transmitting an output signal of the transmitter tends to increase in importance. For example, a transmitter may seek to minimize the amount of power it uses to generate and transmit a signal to prolong the operation of a portable power source such as a battery.
Electrical circuit properties of a transmitter and an antenna connected to the transmitter affect the operation of the transmitter. These properties may cause a transmitter to operate with increased or decreased efficiency, depending on the properties of the transmitter and the antenna. Although manufacturers of transmitters and antenna typically provide typical electrical circuit properties of these components, these properties may vary slightly from component to component and result in an operation of the components that is less than optimal in some configurations. In addition, system designers may have a need for flexibility of the electrical circuit properties of a component to meet design criteria of a larger system.